Soulive

Founded in Woodstock, New York in 1999, the roots of jazz and funk trio Soulive came to life when brothers Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans (bass keys, Hammond B3 organ, clavinet) were members of jam band Moon Boot Lover. The duo then took a musical detour, forming the short-lived hip-hop group the Elements before deciding to form a jazz organ-led trio. Inviting their friend Eric Krasno (guitar) to jam with them, they felt the chemistry was there and they officially formed Soulive. That jam session was released as the trio’s first EP - Get Down (1999) – and the group began a tour to promote it. Their debut album, Turn It Out, was released in 2000 and earned the band critical acclaim. Soulive then signed to the legendary Blue Note Records label and released Doin’ Something (2001) which featured horn arrangements by Fred Wesley. The band continued their busy touring schedule, opening for more established artists like the Rolling Stones, the Dave Matthews Band. Their 2002 album Next featured guest appearances by singers Dave Matthews and Amel Larrieux and rappers Talib Kweli and Black Thought. The 2003 live album Soulive was their final album with Blue Note before the trio signed to Concord Records. Their album Break Out (2005) featured guest vocalists Chaka Khan, Ivan Neville, Robert Randolph, Corey Glover and Reggie Watts. They released the 2007 album No Place Like Soul which was followed by the back-to-basics album Up Here (2009) and their Beatles-covers album Rubber Soulive (2010). The album Spark! (2012) was a collaboration with saxophonist Karl Denson. After a six-year break, the trio returned with the Cinematics, Vol. 1 EP (2018). Guitarist Eric Krasno moved to the West Coast to focus on his production work, although he remains a member of Soulive.